Britin
by sfscarlet
Summary: Justin and Brian return to Britin


The first time I saw Britin, I was floored. Here was this huge mansion of a house and Brian was turning into the drive way. Brian has always been a city guy, at least since I've known him. He thrives on the pulse and beat of the city, especially Liberty Avenue. While the loft wasn't on Liberty Avenue, it was close enough to Brian's world and represented all that he was: Queer, Out, and Proud. So when he unlocked the door to Britin and told me this was our house, it took everything that I had not to think he'd totally lost it.

But then he announced that I was his prince and that he'd do anything to show his prince that he loved him. I knew then that Brian had to have been abducted by pod people, but then he asked me to marry him again and I knew he was serious. He made me say "I will marry you" and I was the happiest man on earth. Then reality hit and I realized that Brian was changing and I didn't like the changed Brian. I realized that maybe marriage wasn't the be-all and end-all that I'd always wanted. And then came the article in the _Forum_ and I left to go to New York, to make my way in the art world of New York City, to become the next Andy Warhol.

But I didn't quite make it. Well, that isn't quite true, I did make it; it just wasn't what I thought it would be. My success started out small, having several pieces in some strategic shows, and then grew until I hit several larger shows. Suddenly, I woke up one day and realized I was actually earning my living painting. I also came to realize that I didn't need to be in New York to be a successful artist, I could paint anywhere. I decided to come back to Pittsburgh, to Brian, my partner.

When I showed up at the loft on a Tuesday night, Brian looked at me with a little frown. "Is everything okay, Justin? Did something happen?" Leave it to Brian to think that I couldn't show up because I just wanted to be here.

Laughing at his concern, I walked over to the desk and kissed him. "Everything is fine, now that I'm home."

"You're home. Home?"

"Home. I realized that I was a success and I can paint anywhere. So here I am, home."

Standing up from his chair, Brian opened his arms and engulfed me in a hug. He held me for what seemed a long time, but was probably only five minutes. He kissed me all over my face, neck and anywhere else he could reach. Leading me to our bed, he undressed me along the way.

We were both naked, panting and caressing each other; it felt as if there were a million hands on my body. Taking out the condoms and lube from the drawer, he quickly prepared me for joining. Pushing into my body, he breached the wall of muscle quickly. Soon, we were enjoying the oldest dance of time. We both came quickly and he pulled out, discarding the condom into the trash.

I was exhausted from my trip and fell asleep. Several hours later I woke from my nap, rested and hungry. Heading out to the main room, I found Brian working at his desk. I walked up behind him, circling my arms around his neck as I kissed the sensitive skin behind his ear. Saving his work on his computer, he swiveled his chair to face me, giving me a kiss.

"Are you sure? Is this really what you want?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I won't ask you again. What about the apartment in New York? Your studio? Your job?"

"I've been packing all week. Don't know how I accumulated so much junk in such a short time. I shipped it here. I gave notice to my boss and my studio is paid up though the end of the year. I'll still need a space to house my big pieces until the gallery is ready for the show next month."

"So this isn't a quick decision?"

"Nope. Are you still okay with this?" Justin asked, hoping that his sudden appearance didn't throw Brian off.

Brian pulled Justin to him, kissing him on the lips until he was out of breath.

"I take that as a yes?"

"No more weekend trips to New York, crammed into your tiny apartment and sleeping on that ridculously small double bed you have. My back puts in three votes for a yes."

"Speaking of living places, I don't think we should live here."

Quirking his eyebrow as only Brian can do, he asked innocently, but suspecting he knew the answer, "And where do you think we should live?"

I give him a searing kiss and responded, "I was thinking of Britin."

Pulling me down to his lap, Brian grinned before answering me. "I've been waiting to hear those words for a long time. I think it can be arranged."

The next morning we drove to Britin, and this time I knew what to expect, or at least I thought I did. Brian had been suspiciously quiet about my request, but then Brian has never been one to do a lot of talking. As we drove down the highway toward West Virginia, I had to pinch myself to believe that this was really happening, that Brian and I were actually going to move in together. True, we had lived together before, but this time seemed to be a more permanent arrangement. As Brian drove the car into the driveway, I found myself taking several deep breaths, trying to calm my beating heart.

Taking out the keys to the door, Brian unlocked it. "It's a pretty empty place, Sunshine. I wasn't ever sure that we'd live here."

"We talked about it before I left. I said this is where I wanted to return to. Didn't you believe me?"

"I believed you, but just because we talked about it, didn't mean that it was going to happen. We both wanted this, but wants aren't always enough." I reached up to give him a big hug, knowing that these admissions of his were special; Brian didn't often share his fears.

Reaching out for Brian's hand, I entwined my fingers in his and we walked through the door. There were still sheets on the furniture and the place had an eerie feel to it. We started our tour in the living room and made our way through the dining room, kitchen, living room, and media room. I brought a sketch pad with me, sketching some of the furniture and noted the color of the walls as well. As we moved through the house, we took all the sheets off. I talked to Brian about what furniture I liked. He said to me, "The furniture was left by the previous owners and it's up to you if you want to keep it. Personally, I think that you will want to have pieces that we both pick out."

"Do you mean that you want to go shopping for furniture with me?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I mean. You can't expect me to live here without having a say to the furniture. If it were up to you, you would probably shop at the J.C. Penney store."

I laughed at his statement, but knew that he was partially correct. "I was thinking that we can make a spare room here for Gus. I'm hoping that he stays with us. I love having him around."

"I think that's an excellent idea; he would really get a kick out of picking his own room. After all, there are six bedrooms in this mansion. Surely, opne would be good for a seven year old little boy."

I led him to the couch in the living room, and shared with him some of the ideas I had written down. He shook his head in agreement on some of them, but nixed others. My stomach began to rumble, and we agreed to return to town to eat and shop.

While we waited for food and talked about the move, I suggested we see Gus and after we finished lunch, we picked him up. He was thrilled to see us and chatted amiably about his week and his upcoming soccer game. We took him to the park, kicking around the soccer ball and pushed him on the swings. Afterwards, we took him to the diner for a snack of milk and cookies.

"I guess you heard me talking to your Daddy about me moving back to Pittsburgh."

"Does that mean that you are going to live with Daddy? Mommy and Momma live together. So I think you should too."

"Actually, your Daddy and I have a big house to live in, and we thought you might like to pick out your room. What do you think about that?" I ruffled his hair, smiling at his grin, so like that of his father.

Frowning at my statement, he turned his head and looked me straight in the eye. "A house? Daddy already has a place to live. Why do you need a house?"

His defense of his father was cute; he was already showing me that I couldn't just boss his Daddy around. "Daddy has a loft, but there's not enough room for you. We thought we'd move to a place where you can have your own room. What do you think about that? Would that be really cool?" I was amazed at how quickly my mind thought like a seven year old, turning to an explanation that he could grasp and would mean something to him.

Gus thought for a few moments, scrunching his eyes and running his hand through his hair, just like his father. "Would I get to live with you? I would miss my mommies, but it I wouldn't have to listen to Jenny Rebecca whine about everything."

"You would still live with your mommies, but you would have a special room at our house. When you visit you would be able to spend the night in your own room."

Shaking his head at my response, he smiled and reached up to hug me. "That's cool. Can I see my room now?" He quickly stood up, holding his hand out to Brian, motioning to him that he was ready to leave at that moment and he expected Brian to take him to see his new room.

Brian pulled Gus back toward the table, hugging him as he came into reach. "It's late. How about we pick you up early in the morning and take you to the house?"

"Okay." Gus reluctantly agreed to wait and questioned us about the house, how many times he could stay over, when he could stay over and many other things that are important to a seven year old, but adults don't always think about.

Here we are, the three of us, driving to our new home. We're a little family, I thought, although I kept it to myself. Brian may be willing to live at Britin, but he will deny anything that smacks of coupledom. I can only push Brian so far. Looking over at Gus, I saw the wonder in his eyes as we pulled up to Britin. He didn't seem to know what to make of this mansion. His eyes were as big as saucers.

"Is this your house, Daddy? It's so big."

"Yep, it sure is Sonny Boy." Brian leaned down, grasping Gus' hand. Unlocking the door, he let us in and I watched as Gus looked at the huge home.

He walked all around the first floor but didn't see any bedrooms, so he asked a little worriedly, "Where's my room?"

"It's up here, Gus. I'll show you." Gus walked up the stairs, slightly behind me, with Brian following. After passing several doors, I opened the third one, motioning for Gus to walk in. Slowly he entered the room, walking to the big picture window first. Looking out, he saw the pool and the stables.

Pointing to the stables, he asked, "What is that building over there?"

Walking over to the window, Brian looked to see where he was pointing. "That's the stable."

"What's a stable?"

"It's a place where horses live."

Nodding his head, Gus accepted what Brian said. Continuing his exploration of the room, Gus looked in the walk-in closet, finding a small step stool where he could reach the rack. Shaking his head, Gus said, "This is cool. I could build a big fort in here and Jenny Rebecca wouldn't be able to knock it down. Can I come live with you? I don't think I would miss my mommies too much."

"Sorry, Sonny Boy. You can't live here, but you can come visit us a lot."

After he thoroughly investigated his room, he explored the rest of the house. I think he opened every drawer, closet and cabinet that he could reach. He exhausted us, and we were only there an hour and a half.

That was my third trip to Britin, but now it's becoming real. We had brought Brian's son to our new home. It was no longer a vision, but reality. With each successive trip to Britin, it was changing from a large mansion to a home, our home. Brian brought Michael to the house and I brought my mother. Brian also brought Ted, but the purpose of his visit was different. He was there to arrange for a gardener, a pool boy and other maintenance staff. I had been to Britin at least ten times in the last three months, preparing for us to move in. Today was the day that we were finally moving into our home.

We woke up early, before the alarm. Instead of hiding underneath the pillow as was my usual way, I sat up with a start, jumped out of bed, went to the shower, and adjusted the water for our morning ritual. Brian joined me and we gave each other mutual hand jobs. Grabbing a bagel for myself and an apple for Brian, we went to the car and drove to Britin. I was lost in my own thoughts as I looked at the scenery, surprised at the change in the color of the leaves and the dying grass. This time of year was my favorite; the landscape was always so vibrant. I just wanted to tell Brian to pull over to the side of the road so that I could capture it all in my sketches, but I refrained. Instead, I placed my hand on his knee and rested it there as he drove.

Arriving at Britin, there were no trucks or delivery vans in the driveway, a sight that was always prevalent whenever I came here to review the work in progress. Today, we were the only occupants scheduled for the whole day. Again, Brian took my hand and intertwined his fingers in mine, and we walked together to the door. He unlocked it and we walked through together.

"Welcome home, Sunshine." He turned toward me with a smile on his face.

"Home. I like that word," I said in return. "Let's go christen our new home. Where shall we start?" I said mischievously.

He took my hand and led me to the bedroom, opening the door with a flourish. "I think here is fitting."

"Mmm," I responded as he proceeded to undress me, and then we christened our new home.

The End


End file.
